Okay, so this month is June. I seem to have been confused about that last issue, but I am pretty sure this piece of writing will be printed in June. It is easy to get confused when you are working on three issues of a magazine at once. Believe me.

As I write, I think of magic as I often do. For me magic is a way of viewing reality and moving in the world. It can have moments like those we imagine the magician Merlin had in the legends of King Arthur, or similar to Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, and even those experienced by the characters in Harry Potter. But usually, it shows in the simple things.

There is no TV in our home. We don’t watch it. Occasionally we watch a downloaded movie for relaxation. But usually, we try to spend our time savoring our lives, rather than escaping into the make believe and far-off dramas of mainstream media. We try and keep our food intake simple and healthy. We are hardly purists, but we eat lots of vegetables and greens from our garden and drink many homemade herbal teas.

Real magic, I believe, has lots to do with intent and expectations. If I intend my life to be filled with magic, it is more likely to be. If I expect magic to exist everywhere in my life, it is more likely to.

We are taught in countless ways that reality is only what we can see and touch. What if the material world we live in is only one slice of the reality of existence?

I often ask “what if?” questions: What if other dimensions and expanded realities not only exist but parts of us already exist in them? What if we can use the possibility of these other realms as a source of magic? What if I could do magic, what would bring me and those I love the most happiness, love and laughter? What if I could talk to gods and goddesses, what might they say? What if there were forest folk living around our home, and what might their reality be like? What if I could talk to the dead, what might they tell me I need to hear? These questions open me up to possibilities that because I choose to try them out, become realities.

When we do watch movies, I enjoy them. I mostly choose movies which uplift and inspire me. I have found, however, that my personal imagination becomes kidnapped by the memories of the movies. This makes magic more difficult and challenging for the next twenty-four hours, or so, after we have watched one. I’m still not sure why that is for me. I’m not sure if TV and movies affect most people this way. But I do advise people who want to live more magically, to take a two-day or longer break from media and see how your imagination changes.

While doing this, I encourage any who are interested to play with magic. Start by giving gratitude for all that is good in your life. Let the forces that be, know you want more good of the things you enjoy in your life. Then ask for something specific. Start small. You can pray for more magic or for something to occur. You can pray to God, or to Christ, or to any spiritual being you prefer. You can walk and repeat affirmations of what you want, or visualize all the details. Or you can write down what it is you want, and place it where you see it all the time. It is your ceremony, so set it up so it feels right to you. If you need inspiration on how to perform ceremonies, I speak of some ways of doing them in my books, as do many authors. There are also many sites on how to perform rituals and ceremony on the internet.

I have found any of the above techniques to be great for simple things – such as to bring old friends I can’t find back into my life. They also work well for finding lost items. Once you begin having small successes, build up to a better job, or a great relationship, or major life change you want to manifest.

I still cannot fly, or translocate, but I will let you know if I manage to. Or, as my wife would have made me say it: when I manage to. In the meantime, Happy Magical Life.

I was not long ago in Latin America for six months. I usually am Leary of Shamans in tourist areas especially a place a popular as Cusco, Peru. In Cusco, however I became friends with Roberto. He is a native Quechuan who grew up in a village high in the Andes Mountains. I had done Ayahuasca and San Pedro along my journeys through South America with a wide range of results. Roberto was so enlightened and I felt that he would lead me places and depths I had yet not unveiled.

I met up with Roberto, and two other people who where to participate in our ceremony, Lauria and Hadasa . Together we drove up past Sacsayhuaman and a ways further into the mountains. Then we stopped in the middle of nowhere. Roberto led us on a hike on a trail to a clearing. There he spread his shaman’s blanket and donned his shaman’s hat, and took out amulets and ceremonial tools. We were all given three coca leaves and he lead us in asking permission, blessings, and giving gratitude for the day we were about to share. The sky was threatening and rain had been predicted. Roberto called in Father Sun to aid our experience. He then explained the medicine, a Ayahuasca and San Pedro cactus mix that was prepared ritualistically yesterday with the four of us in mind. He stated that it should supply just what we needed for the next step of our emotional and spiritual evolution. He said he was not one for limits or rules, however, to make the ceremony worthwhile we must all drink a minimum of three glasses of the medicine.

After that it was up to each of us how much more we wanted, but no more than seven glasses. As he assisted, each of us drank the first glass. When we did this the clouds vanished and the sun came out bright. After drinking the medicine, we sat in a circle and he gently guided us through what the results of the first glass usually were., which was a wide range of possibilities. Then he apologized, and said he did not sing or play instruments very well, so he had recordings of his two masters singing traditional Ayahuasca and San Pedro ritual songs, on his cell phone. He turned on the music and told each of us to walk and find a separate spot not far of and just meditate on our days purpose. We sat for about half an hour. He checked in with each of us twice in that time, so sweetly and caringly. Then he brought us together to share purposes and focus in ceremony. Then we hiked more.

We came to the first ruins. They were still fairly intact ruins and no one was there at that time. We stopped and Roberto lead another in depth ritual and poured us each another glass. Then he told us of different Inca wisdoms. After this he sent us each off. This time to revisit our lives and forgive and give gratitude to ourselves and everyone we felt we had wronged or who had wronged us. He left us with this for a bit over half an hour. We regathered and shared our personal experiences and insights. Roberto spoke of each of us doing spiritual work and healing for millions of others; that the ripples we sent out would help transform and heal the world.

We then entered a tunnel in the side of the mountain. And climbed down for what seemed like forever. We eventually came to a large open space and Roberto said this was our destination. He lit candles and we all drank our fourth glass. Roberto did a long ritual which was sprinkled with teaching us Inca wisdom and telling us stories of the Inca pasts. Then we drank our fifth glass. We each took a candle to a different part of the room to meditate on the secrets of the Inca hidden wisdom and the underground tunnels.

I sat as near as I could to where the tunnel progressed lower. Roberto apologized but said that we all would need much more training and practice and preparation to be able to descend deeper into the tunnels and emerge again. If we progressed lower than we were, we would not be able to remember or explain what we saw. He said that odds were it would make us insane.

I meditated and immediately flew to other dimensions. It was a kaleidoscope ride through lives that I might have lived if I had made different choices in my life. These were lives I might have had, maybe even lived in other realities.

Finally we climbed up and out of the hidden cave. When we emerged he made us climb out backwards, almost having to do somersaults. This was to make our rebirths symbolic and real! I did feel born again. I felt renewed, my heartfelt bigger than my chest and my aura felt a mile wide.

After what seemed like a days’ hiking we arrived at a Waqa or Huaca. This is a sacred large rock that has been carved and shaped into sacred forms. It was almost overgrown but had paths and shelves and carvings all over. There were now beautiful clouds in the sky and hawks flew overhead and it seemed there were butterflies and humming birds everywhere. Roberto said we had to celebrate and move to the next level our rebirths. We all lay in a circle and he had us repeat Quechuan magical terms. As he told us that we had to feel both the burning hot of the sun and the ice cold of the snow, it began to gently hail with the sun out and rainbows became visible. He had us stand on a sacred spot and explode into the Universe. When I exploded, I felt as if my heart expanded miles wide and my spirits traveled for light years.

Eventually Roberto called us together for the closing ceremony on the mountain. As he did wild horses came running by us. Roberto explained that over the years many horses that were used to sell rides to the tourist had escaped and lived here in the wild. The ceremony was strong and powerful. Then we each returned to our lives reborn.

It is May and greenery has leafed full blown all over Central Virginia. With this, trees and forests have reclaimed their major role in our lives. I read recently that new research estimates the numer of trees to be over three trillion trees on planet Earth. Can you imagine what these trees do for the health of all our lives and the entire planet on so many levels? From when I was very young, spending time among the trees always made me feel right with the world. Now I believe that tree and plant energies realign and reset our personal energies. I have lived for prolonged periods of times in cities with few parks or trees. In those places I often became depleted, depressed and confused unless I made time to walk in parks, or went hiking and camping in nearby forests. Nature works in such healthy ways for most people. I notice the differences living in cities, or in a forest as we do now.

Over a year ago, Sofia wrote an article for Echo, about the trees in our Magic Land valley, where we live. In it she shared that the trees began speaking to her, when she first arrived in the USA, and that the trees helped her to adjust to Virginia. Well, those trees have been speaking to both of us, giving us guidance for over two years now. This might sound strange to some, but trees require a certain kind of listening. In the children’s book The Little Prince, it states sublimely: “Here is my secret. It is very simple: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” I think this is how we must listen to trees as well. Trees have a different kind of wisdom. They can speak directly to our hearts and souls. Our trees advise us on how to view things, they clarify many difficult issues for us, and even tell us how to plant and tend our garden.

I encourage all of you to try to hear the trees anywhere, even in parks or on city streets. They all have much to share, if you listen right. Our trees introduced us to garden and plant elementals and growing spirits.

Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird wrote a book titled The Secret Life of Plants. In it they discuss at length how attitude towards plants usually affects how they grow. Kind words, seeing them as sentient beings, even encouraging music, increases garden plant’s growth and yields of vegetables. By envisioning, even praying, for a bountiful garden the yields can be wonderfully increased. Elementals and plant spirits are real and help plants grow. Reach out to them. We all can experience them.

Now it is May, the trees are full of green leaves, the gardens are kicking into high gear. Let’s all go forth and give thanks for the beauty of nature all around us and maybe communicate a bit closer than we usually might.

Anytime is a wonderful time to visit Bolivia. It is autumn now in the southern hemisphere and the number of tourists, unlike our summer which is their winter, are not overwhelming.

If you shop around you can get a round trip ticket from Washington D.C. to La Paz, Bolivia for as low as $450. The value of the dollar is amazingly good in Bolivia. Just a few years ago, I spent six weeks traveling around Bolivia, staying at middle range hotels and hostels and spent $1200 for those six months total. More so than many countries, Bolivian people are very friendly and it is easy to meet native people, as long as you give it a bit of extra effort.

I began my trip by bus, arriving at Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. From there you can visit the Isle of the Sun and the Isle of the Moon; both are where the Inca believed the gods were born. You can also visit the Uru floating islands, where generations of native people have lived near the middle of Lake Titicaca.

From Copacabana, I went on to La Paz. La Paz is located in west-central Bolivia forty-two miles southeast of Lake Titicaca. It is set in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River. It is located in a bowl-like depression, surrounded by the high mountains of the Altiplano. Overlooking the city is the towering, triple-peaked Illimani. It is thought to be one of the holiest apus, or mountain gods, by the native people. Its peaks are always snow covered and can be seen from many parts of the city. At an elevation of roughly 11,975 feet above sea level, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world. La Paz has an unusual subtropical highland climate, with rainy summers and dry winters. I stayed by the bus station up by the high rim and to go down town had to walk down the steep streets. After exploring the city each day I had to climb back up the steep streets in that high altitude thin air. My favorite place in La Paz was the Witch’s Market. It extends for miles over many city streets. You can find whole streets of shirts, cosmetics, under wear and shoes. My favorite part is the shaman stalls where you can buy any magical supplies from potions that will improve your love life to llama fetishes, which are traditional offerings to the gods. If your Spanish is even marginal you can get the booth owners to explain how things are used in rituals and ceremonies.

My favorite trip from La Paz is to take a bus to Tiwanaku and Puma Punku. These ruins are not well known or very well visited by tourists. Yet they are ancient and more impressive than Machu Picchu in nearby Peru. There is an ancient wall of carved stone heads which have facial racial features that can be interpreted as being from every race on earth. You can also find a stone sun gate which has an ancient accurate twelve month solar calendar and a carving of an elephant on it. The first archeological finds of llamas, corn, potatoes and quinoa were also found near here. There are those who believe that these ruins were part of the sunken Lemuria.

I went on this trip, as well as other trips, by bus to the Amazon rainforest. You can take the bus down the road that is estimated to be the most dangerous road in the world – North Yungas Road (but I cannot with a good conscience recommend this). I took this road by mistake and it was breathtaking. The worst thing that happened, however, is that we got stuck in the mud for twenty-four hours. This allowed me to become friends with everyone on the bus. The road ends at the town Rurrenabaque, on the edge of the Ichilo River. Rurrenabaque is a quaint fishing town and the entry way to the Amazon. I stayed there in a fifth-floor hostel overlooking the whole village for two dollars a night. Each morning I would go to the market place and have a big bowl of great fish stew and a coffee for seventy-five cents. Near noon I would walk to the river and watch the fisher people catch fish from their boats. They would then bring them to their booths in the market place, clean them and fry them up for lunch.

From there, I went up the river and stayed for free at a big game preservation compound for almost a week, in return for helping out. You can go many places into the Amazon River basin from here. On previous trips there, I explored small villages and met authentic shamans. Up the river you can find the Mididi National Park. After a report from Conservation International in 1990, that recognized this area as Bolivia’s most diverse eco-system, the Bolivian government declared it a national park. It is recorded by National Geographic as one of the world’s most immense biologically diverse reserves on the planet. There are so far recorded about 988 species registered as well. This is truly a wonderful place to visit.

From the Amazon, I took a bus to Sucre. Sucre is also known as the “White City,” for most buildings are white. It is the Constitutional capital of the Republic of Bolivia. It is home to the Supreme Court and is the central axis of judicial power in the country. Situated on a hill top surrounded by low mountains, it’s a beautiful city. It has a great climate. Its population is estimated to be about 100,000. It has wonderful cathedrals, museums, restaurants and many old colonial buildings. I met some great local people who showed me many of the local favorite spots.

From here my trip by bus led to Cochbaamba. This city’s name originates from the Spanish sound derived from the Quechua name Kochapampa, which speaks of an area subject to flooding – literally “The Plain of Chacos.” It is in the heart of Bolivia, halfway between the large eastern flatlands and the high plateaus. It was tropical hot when I was there, but the market places and restaurants were very unique and worth sweating for. Sipping iced lime aid, while watching the local inhabitants shop, was wonderful.

From here, I was on to the city of Potosí. Founded in 1545, the city enjoyed a period of time where it thrived. Due to “Cerro Rico de Potosí,” meaning, the rich hill of Potosí, which was a mountain mostly made of silver, it is said that the Spanish shipped enough silver back to Spain to make a bridge from there all the way to Spain. At its high point, it was transformed by European architects and artists. They made the city into a symbol of riches, luxury, and splendor. Now mostly it is in a state of decay. You can imagine the ghosts of the children who died in the mines roaming the streets.

From there, it is easy to get to the Salar de Uyuni. They are the world’s largest salt flats, located in the Daniel Campos Province in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes. They extend as far as you can imagine in every direction.

Seeing huge flocks of pink flamingos on the salt flats at sunset was one of my picturesque memories before I headed back to La Paz and onto Peru.

I love Bolivia. It is so colorful. One of my favorite things about Bolivia is that a large majority of the native people still wear the traditional dress. I strongly advise a trip for anyone wanting an inexpensive but exotic holiday. This piece first appeared in The Echo World Magazine www.TheEchoWorld.com

It is March and almost spring in Central Virginia! The Blue Ridge Mountains will soon erupt into green buds, followed by an explosion of greenery and flowers. Honestly, before I moved to Central Virginia, I never knew anything about the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, since I have moved here, not a day goes by without me admiring and appreciating them more and more. I did not know that the Blue Ridge Mountains simply got their name from the bluish color they have when seen from a distance; and that it is trees that put the “blue” in Blue Ridge – the hue comes from the isoprene, a common organic compound given off by many plants. The trees of these mountains release this compound into the atmosphere,thereby contributing to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive color. Neither did I know that these are some of the oldest mountains in the world. I have also been told that under portions of the mountains – granite rock laced with quartz crystals goes down one hundred miles deep.

In the Andes Mountains in South America, the descendants of the Inca believe that each mountain peak is an individual god. They call them Apus. They communicate with them in prayer, dreams, rituals and ceremonies. The Apu mountain spirits also serve as protectors, watching over their surrounding territories and protecting nearby Quichuan inhabitants as well as their livestock and crops. In times of trouble, the Apus are appeased, or called upon, through offerings. Small offerings such as chicha (corn beer) and coca leaves are common.

I have come to think of the Blue Ridge Mountains the same way – as living entities. I have had dreams where the mountains spoke to me. They talked of the long mosaic of human history they have witnessed. They spoke of how much they enjoy their own and human’s existence. Most importantly, they talked of how they become more when people give them attention. They spoke of how they love people to hike in them, or sit by their watery places: ponds, rivers, streams and creeks. How they love the sound of people’s laughter, especially children at play or people on picnics.

I awoke from these dreams wondering if they could all be real. Could mountain ranges think, feel, and love? If they could, would they care about human attentions and emotions? I am not sure what conclusions I have come to with those questions. But I do know that when hiking on the Appalachian Trail I feel alive in a very special way, as if I’m connected to something indefinably bigger. I know that whenever I take out-of-town visitors to see Crab Tree Falls they have a great time, and are very impressed and uplifted. And I know that even looking at the beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains from afar inspires a sense of wonder. How small we humans are compared to these mighty beings.

It is March and it is soon spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Doesn’t it make sense for each of us to find or make time in our lives to appreciate the unique beauty and wonders of these mountains we live near and in? I plan to hike, to swim in the lakes sheltered by them, and appreciate them more this spring. I give thanks for their very existence. I urge all our readers to do something similar. Make the magic of the Blue Ridge Mountains or any place in nature your own.

I just realized I had not mentioned my friend Maureen St. Germain on my blog. Maureen is presently in China teaching. She is a great teacher. She is also a wonderful author. She considers herself, however, more of a facilitator than a teacher. She feels that what she does is to help people to remember what they already know.

Maureen writes about, and teaches, quantum physics and quantum mechanics, explaining how all possibilities exist and how intention is an essential element in producing outcome. She explores questions such as: if subatomic particles are predictable in their behavior, then how do we evolve this to apply quantum physics principles to our day-to-day material world.

Maureen also teaches sacred geometry. This is the study of divine shapes and their relationships in both organic and inorganic forms. In addition, sacred geometry is the study of, and understanding of, numbers and their relationships and their expression, and how the understanding of these things can enhance our efficiency of functioning in the world.

Other areas of Maureen’s explorations are fractals and chaos theory. A fractal is a mathematical representation of chaos. Chaos theory is used to predict weather, which is definitely a chaos system. Chaos theory teaches that everything is connected. Most of us have heard that the flapping of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil can lead to a tsunami in Bangladesh. Maureen makes a wonderful connection between chaos theory and our day-to-day lives: if minor occurrences in the natural world can have major effects, then when we make minor changes in our lives these can result in major improvements.

Maureen knows that science is moving towards explaining spiritual truths. She uses this knowledge to explain how what we think, say and do, ultimately creates our lives.

Maureen’s own life is a perfect example. She had a good job and thought she shared a wonderful marriage. Then one day her husband announced he wanted a divorce, and that he was leaving her alone with their children. Maureen was not making enough to support herself and the children alone. She began reinventing herself and expanding how she worked and what she did. She started teaching nights and weekends. She researched and studied to better understand how the world works, how to make it work better for herself and her sons, and how to manifest the life she wanted. Today Maureen’s sons are all college educated and she has a new wonderful, loving husband. She travels the world teaching many things, most importantly perhaps, how to manifest the lives we dream of for ourselves.

My favorite simple technique she teaches is movies-of-the-mind. She teaches how we can create imaginative detailed movies-in- our-mind about how we want our lives to unfold. Then by repeatedly playing these mind movies for ourselves we are using the principles of quantum physics, sacred geometry and chaos theory to bring about the future we desire.

Maureen also has a lovely, soothing, almost hypnotic voice, which she has used to record over fourteen meditation CD’s and downloads. These cover a wide range of subjects. Maureen has no problem exploring the outer edge of possibilities in these recording. She speaks of the Flower of Life and the power it offers us, about archangels and how to work with them. She speaks of the Akashic record, where everything that has occurred and all knowledge in the Universe is recorded, and that is accessible to those who learn how. One of the things I love most about Maureen St. Germain is that she is humble and approachable. She may be amazingly wise and knowledgeable, but she is not arrogant or condescending. Rather, she feels her mission is to help people to remember their own knowledge and truths, and is honored to help them do so when and however she can.

This blog post only begins to scratch the surface of what Maureen offers. Check out her website at www.Maureenstgermain.com

I was one of the founders, and for twenty-seven years, the publisher/managing Editor of Magical Blend. This magazine began in 1979 and ceased publication after one hundred issues in 2006. Time Magazine called it, “all the fringe you could fit between two covers every month.”

The story of Magical Blend began in my living room in San Francisco. I had just moved there on Halloween of 1978. My first year I met many amazing and unique spiritual teachers, students, writers, poets, visionary artists, and comic book artists. Many of them had submitted their teachings, writings or art to main stream media, and gotten nothing but rejections because their material was so unorthodox and original. A group of us came together and agreed to launch a magazine of our own, which would be different than anything being printed at that time. We figured that we could feature our own creative works along with the work of more famous people. This was before affordable desktop computers and printers, neither did we have access to faxes or internet (this may seem very alien to many of my readers, but I swear those days have existed in my lifetime). All of us volunteering with the magazine also worked day jobs. We pooled the money we could spare to pay for the printing cost and other expenses for the first eleven issues.

When the first issues came out many people told us, in no uncertain terms, that the occult and magical information we were printing, was either evil or not meant to be made available to the general public. At that time the New Age trends had not yet begun, and much of what we were printing was very unusual and unknown in the main stream media. Many people told us that they could not even understand what it was about or why it should exist. Today most of the material we printed has become mainstream. But at that point in time the occult, magic, witchcraft, shamanism, ancient mysteries, UFO’s, spiritual sexuality, astral traveling, exploring other dimensions, creative visualization, affirmations, and even alternative health were thought to be odd, weird, or even evil.

We printed 2,000 copies of the second issue and slowly built interest and distribution. From here on, 1,000 additional copies an issue were printed.

With the eleventh issue – this was in 1984 – the magazine caught fire. We had refined our presentation, the word had gotten out to the underground and alternative people, and the eleventh issue sold out of eleven thousand copies in three weeks. Subscriptions and requests to purchase advertising poured in. My then co-publisher Jerry Snider and I, resigned our jobs and began working full time on Magical Blend. Over the next year, we could hire many of the people who had volunteered for years.

From the very first issue we had an interest and willingness of big name authors, musicians, actors, artists and a wide array of authorities in different fields, to participate in the magazine. We had astrologer Dane Rudhyar, science fiction writer Michael Morcock, underground artist Justin Green, the new age authors such as Shakti Gawain and Mark Allen. We had author and witch Starhawk, dolphin communicator Jon Lilly, LSD guru Timothy Leary, and mythologist Joseph Campbell. I take a special pride in the fact that we had difficult near-impossible-to-get-interviews-with lead singer of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia. And of course we had the western shaman magic writer of the time, Carlos Castaneda.

Long before Magical Blend I had developed a deep awe and addiction to Latin America and Latin American shamanism. I saved up money and visited, explored, studied and lived in Latin America, as long as, I could afford to (something I continued to do all my life). This turned out to greatly enrich how Magical Blend came about and developed. I adopted my two children, during the civil war in Peru, in the year 2000 (I wrote about this and much more in my two books: Secrets of the Ancient Incas, and The Secrets of the Amazon Shamans.) This certainly deepened certain areas of Magical Blend and made me more aware of areas such as the challenges of being a magic worker and a parent.

Magical Blend sales were helped by odd – you could even say – magical experiences. The very famous Oral Roberts held up copies of Magical Blend on his national TV show The Breakfast Club, and said we were the devils tool and urged his audience not to allow anyone they care about to read our magazine. Circulation skyrocketed in the Southern states. Then Woody Allen began his book, Mere Anarchy, by dedicating his entire first chapter to joking about and making fun of Magical Blend.

Also adding to circulation growth were facts such as that we had a Magical Blend TV show for two years which I hosted in San Francisco; that Swan Raven published an anthology, named A Magical Universe, of the best articles of our first fifty issue, featuring Robin Williams, John Cleaves, Joan Baez, Terrance McKenna, Robert Anton Wilson and many more; that Hampton Roads Publishing published Solstice Shift: Magical Blend’s Guide to the Coming Age with articles by twenty of our favorite writers. Hampton Roads followed that with my book, Spiritual Business:The Amazing True Story of Magical Blend Magazine. All these things and more kept circulation growing. Because we were ahead of the New Age interest wave and the witchcraft interest wave and the health food wave and many others as well, sales just kept growing. At its peak in the year 2000 Magical Blend was selling 130,000 copies monthly. It was sold in every state in the USA, in every province in Canada, as well as thirty other counties. We had an annual budget of over one million dollars. We had spun off two separate magazines, Natural Beauty and Health and Transitions. We had an in- office staff of twenty-five employees.

Then in 2006 the shock waves of the coming economic downturn began hitting our small and edgy advertisers. They began pulling their ads and we were having impossible times finding new ones to replace them. After twenty-seven years of running a business, I saw the writing on the wall. I chose, after 100 issues of Magical Blend, to pull the plug and close down the operation.

I totally changed my career. I signed up with a California state program. If I promised to work three years for good pay for the State, they would pay me and my costs to earn my master’s degree in social work and therapy. What a great change of pace. I saved my money and when my children graduated college I lived in South America for six months. Then I worked with three Southern California New Age magazines for six months. In these turbulent times I also traveled and worked in Mexico for a year. Then I took a position as a freelance public relations manager for The Monroe Institute in Faber, Virginia for a year. At the end of that with my multi-talented new wife Sofia and I launched LangevinAxelssson Marketing: a social media and public relations company.

A year ago we took over the magazine The Echo World. It had been the alternative voice for Central Virginia for twenty-years. Next month, we will have published twelve great issues, featuring people like Shakti Gawain, Mark Allen, Lynn Andrews, Michael Haener, Michael Grosso, Frank DeMarco, Maureen St. Germain, Whitley Strieber, Alberto Villoldo and many others. I feel like I have been blessed to be able to help get so much great information out to the world in my life. It has all proved to me time and again that Magic is real and works!